I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a container for storing and dispensing a liquid, in general, and more particularly, to a novel container with a flexible spout which is adapted to selectively regulate the flow of liquid therefrom.
II. Background of the Invention
Dispensing liquid from a container neatly and without spillage is often a tedious and time consuming process. The process is made more difficult when one desires that the liquid be transferred to a receptacle having an opening that is hard to reach. This is nearly universally the case with the pouring and dispensing of motor oil into the oil fill of a typical automobile engine. Today, oil is typically stored in plastic bottles constructed of substantially inflexible material. These bottles are not conducive to transferring oil from the bottle to an oil fill opening that is usually located in the midst of a number of components in a closely fitted engine compartment. A major problem which occurs with the use of traditional bottles is that once the bottle is inverted the oil necessarily begins to flow. This flow may occur before the spout is suitably positioned over the oil fill. Moreover, the problem is aggravated if the oil fill opening is located in a position that the spout cannot even reach. Without the use of a funnel or other liquid directional device, it is nearly impossible for the user to pour oil into the oil fill opening without spilling oil on other parts of the engine compartment, on the user, or on the outside of the user's vehicle. Since oil is flammable, it may ignite if it contacts hot engine parts. Moreover, oil is a toxic waste material and therefore any leakage onto the ground may be damaging to the environment.
Dispensing containers in which fluid is selectively permitted to flow through are known. U.S. Pat. No. 2,773,631 issued to Bryant discloses a measuring and dispensing device that can permit or prevent the flow of fluid therethrough. The Bryant container employs a flexible tube that is bendable about two lines to selectively permit fluid flow. A normally closed aperture is provided at the end of the spout that allows the user to selectively measure a certain amount of liquid to flow through.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,602,728 issued to Ha discloses a container with an extensible neck that allows the neck to act as a funnel to direct fluid to a receptacle. To dispense liquid from the container, the spout is pulled causing the neck to expand, and the neck is then adjusted to the receptacle. The containers disclosed in Bryant and Ha, although useful, have some disadvantages. To permit fluid flow in the Bryant container, one must not only remove pressure from the dispensing device but also force open the aperture at the end of the spout to open. The Ha container requires substantial modifications and the use of non-standard components and therefore is costly to manufacture.
Accordingly, it is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing container that is economical to manufacture, compact, light weight, simple to use, and can be used effectively in a variety of different situations.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing container that is simply constructed of one-piece molded plastic.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved dispensing container in which liquid may be poured without spillage into receptacles in hard to access areas.
In accordance with these and many other objects, I have invented a unique dispensing container that solves the problems that others have failed to address.